GMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike
This is a good bike - the best feature is the dual suspension. Light and easy dropping off curbs on the way to work - huge difference from my hardtail mountain bike.
Disc brakes are nice to have, on front and rear - work much better than rim brakes. To adjust them hold the brake lever in and tighten them down via a hex wrench on the opposite center of the disc brake until the pads are flush against the disc, then turn back until the brake lever has enough play in it.
The rims are v-shaped, and narrow - much more so than my other bikes. It was quite a job to add tuffy liners to to the tires. I think I will have a bike shop change the tire next time they need it. The hard part is getting the tire off and on those narrow rims. The people at REI said to squeeze on the sides of the tire as you put it on, so both ends go deep into the rim.
Be careful when you put the front tire on that you have the fork facing forward. (I had it backwards the first time). Make sure the big round points on U part of the fork point towards the front of the bike.
The tires are very knobby. If you ride on the street a lot you might want to change them to something with a smoother tread in the middle.
The bike weighs 38 pounds put together - not exactly light, but since I ride for pleasure and exercise, and don't plan to race, the weight is fine.
If you get it for less than 150, (what Amazon is selling it for the week of Feb 20), it is quite a bargain. (disc brakes by themselves often add $100 to a bike).
I raised the seat pretty high for a comfortable ride at my height, and found the handlebars are two low. I fixed this by adding some handlebar extenders which allow me to be more upright when I am not braking.
To my knowledge you can't raise the stem on the handlebars without adding a spacer. If anyone finds out otherwise, please comment to this post.
Another possibility (besides handlebar extensions), would be to replace the handlebar with one that has more of a rise to it.
The Topkick is made by Kent Bicycle Company for GMC. They also make some Cadillac Mountain Bikes - the Cadillac AM2.4 and AM2.7, which are sold on Amazon. They are both dual suspension with disc brakes and have a very similar frame as the Topkick. Both bikes sale for over $1000. - By. Cdog-
0 comments:
Post a Comment